Friday's Top Ten

The top ten Texas icons:

10. San Jacinto Monument

  9. NASA Johnson Space Center

  8. Mockingbirds

  7. Dance Halls

  6. Bluebonnets

  5. Longhorn Cattle

  4. The Alamo

  3. The Lone Star

  2. Tex-Mex Food

And the #1 Texas icon:

  1. Blue Bell Ice Cream

Comments

Linda Kage saidā€¦
I immediately thought COWBOYS.

And the saying "Everything's bigger in Texas!" Which is true. The one time I spent five minutes just inside the Texas border, we stopped at a visitor center so I could take a picture and say "I've been to Texas," I used the bathroom, and I swear there had to have been, like 100 bathroom stalls. HUGE.

Now you've got me hungry for blue bell ice cream though!!
Summer Ross saidā€¦
I thought cowboys as well.
I have never had or heard of that kind of ice cream. Hmmm sounds yummy though.
Carol Kilgore saidā€¦
Linda - I'm a native Texan. The only cowboys I think of are the ones that play football in Dallas. We do have real cowboys, but I think of them as ranchers, I guess. Some of them may know how to ride a horse, but most drive pickups.

Summer - Blue Bell Ice Cream is to die for. Here's their link:
http://www.bluebell.com
I hope it comes to your area soon.
Arlee Bird saidā€¦
Texas has so many cool things. My daughter and her husband wanted to take us to NASA while we were there a few weeks ago, but I just wanted to kick back and visit.

My Texas favorites:

Big Bend and Terlingua -- One of my favorite national parks. Haven't been to Terlingua in about 35 years, but back then it was cool.

Odessa/Midland -- They're just weird.

Big Texan Steakhouse in Amarillo

Mi Tierra Restaurant at the Mercado in San Antonio--love their bakery.

And my new favorite:

Buckee's Travel Stop between Houston and San Antonio. I'd been seeing the signs on my last few trips and this year I stopped. What a vast and clean gas station and store-- it's huge. And their rest rooms were unbelievable.

Lee
Tossing It Out and the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2011
VR Barkowski saidā€¦
Hee hee, I thought Cowboys, too, but the football kind. My dad would be so proud of me. :)

We have Blue Bell in Georgia, but I'd never heard of the brand and was afraid to try it. Something to look forward to this summer!
Joanne saidā€¦
And next week, you can add American Idol tryouts putting Austin on the map :)
I have this sudden urge to visit my freezer. :) And I just HAPPEN to have a brand-new bottle of chocolate syrup, too. :)
Laura Eno saidā€¦
I'm visiting the freezer with Elizabeth. :)
Dance halls? Are they like nightclubs or something different?
Talli Roland saidā€¦
Oh, Tex-Mex food for sure. When I lived in Texas for one summmer, I gorged on Tex Mex! YUM!
Carol Kilgore saidā€¦
Arlee - I agree about Odessa/Midland.
Big Bend - Sis loves it; I've never been.
Big Texan - My CP raves about it.
Mi Tierra - I rave about it!
Buckee's - I've driven past but never stopped. You came through SA and didn't even wave :(
I'm kidding!

VR - Don't be afraid. I LOVE Homemade Vanilla.

Joanne - Austin has a huge music scene.

Elizabeth - LOL. And chocolate syrup, too....

Laura - Dance halls are buildings somewhat like barns that dot small towns in central Texas. They're old buildings, but some places are building new ones. Live music, dancing. Cowboys! Here's a place to start:
http://www.texasdancehall.org/

Talli - I could eat Tex-Mex three times a day, seven days a week. I love it.
Southpaw saidā€¦
TEX-MEX food is the best!
Alex J. Cavanaugh saidā€¦
No Cowboys stadium? Not that I'm complaining...
Arlee Bird saidā€¦
Whenever we pass thru San Antonio, we make a point of eating at Mi Tierra. This year we were going to stop for a mid-morning breakfast. It was raining so hard that I missed the exit and it was too much hassle to go back. We ended up at the Denny's in Boerne. I was so bummed out about that.


Lee
Tossing It Out and the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2011
Elspeth Futcher saidā€¦
I have never heard of Blue Bell Ice Cream. But oh, how I'd love to go to the NASA Johnson Space Center!
Carol Kilgore saidā€¦
Holly - I agree about a million percent. Or more.

Alex - I'm not a Dallas Cowboys fan either.

Arlee - What a bummer! If it happens again, there are a couple of decent Tex-Mex places in The Rim at I-10 and 1604. And a Texas BBQ place at Leon Springs called Rudy's. All a better choice than Denny's.
Carol Kilgore saidā€¦
Elspeth - If you're fortunate, maybe Blue Bell will come to a grocery near you. The Space Center is pretty awesome. An uncle used to work there, and I think one of my cousins still does.
Golden Eagle saidā€¦
I've never heard of Blue Bell Ice Cream, although I have heard of the flower.
Carol Kilgore saidā€¦
Golden Eagle - Direct from the the Blue Bell website:
"Blue Bell is available in all or part of 17 states. Blue Bell is available in all of the following states: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Blue Bell is also available in some parts of the following states: Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina and Florida."
If you live near one of these states, plan a road trip!
Hart Johnson saidā€¦
No suit with a cowboy hat and cowboy boots? I always think of the tycoon who's trying to pretend he's still just a cowboy. Dallad (the TV show) warped me. Dallas the city didn't improve matters. Though one of my very favorite people lives in Austin and I have a conference there in May, so my opinion should improve.
LR saidā€¦
I would love to visit Texas again. I drove through it, but didn't have time to stop. :) Maybe some day.
Mason Canyon saidā€¦
I so love Blue Bell Ice Cream. Found it through my friend that lives in Houston. It finally came to Georgia and I'm thrilled. One thing I think of when I think of Texas, the Riverwalk.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress
Carol Kilgore saidā€¦
Hart - Yeah, you still see that :)
Have fun in Austin. Shouldn't be too hot in May.

LR - I hope you'll get to return.

Mason - Duh! I even live here and forgot about the Riverwalk. I just saw it, too. Crazy brain.
Lydia Kang saidā€¦
I didn't know about the mockingbirds!
I learned something today.
:)
Carol Kilgore saidā€¦
Lydia - The mockingbird is the state bird of Texas. They're everywhere.
dolorah saidā€¦
I think I missed something here . .

I just popped by to say how much I appreciate how often you've stopped by and commented on my posts. I haven't been visiting much lately - except for blogfests - and wanted you to know I at least catch up on reading when I can't consistently comment.

Have a good weekend Carol.

..........dhole
Carol Kilgore saidā€¦
Donna - Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I'm trying to think what you might have missed. Every Friday I post a top ten list, either funny, informative, or both. I live in Texas, so this one was about my state. Maybe this helps?
Anonymous saidā€¦
Another great list!

Hooray for Texas! Once I was caught, my daughter and I, in a blizzard in the Panhandle. Would be better if I could see the state another way!!

Have a great weekend.
Ann Best, Author
Carol Kilgore saidā€¦
The Panhandle has brutal weather - extremes of all the seasons. All of Texas is not that way. I hope you get to see more of us some day.
Anonymous saidā€¦
I haven't had Blue Bell Ice Cream yet, and I'm an ice cream fiend.

Now I'm pondering ten things about my state.
Carol Kilgore saidā€¦
Medeia - Find it...LOL! Ponder away. You'll find them.
Patti Lacy saidā€¦
As I'm watching a white-out, you're making me pine for my Lone Star State.

I'll just look at your blog photo and pretend...

P
Carol Kilgore saidā€¦
Stay warm, Patti. It's 18 here right now, so I'm looking at the photo and pretending, too :)
Vickie saidā€¦
Greetings from another native (east) Texan, Carol! I just popped over here from... can't remember... anyway - nice to meet a fellow PROUD Texan! Been here all my life and I'm never leavin'. I agree with your top ten, been there, done that, and will do again and again and again!!!
Carol Kilgore saidā€¦
Thanks for stopping by Vickie. Come back anytime. Nice to meet you.

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